Consistent Standards with Data-Driven Cleaning

The Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel System is designed to keep high-traffic bathrooms well-stocked with hand towels, therefore helping facility managers meet increased hygiene expectations. (photo courtesy Tork Vision)

COVID-19 emphasized the need for improved cleaning and hygiene protocols in industrial facilities; these heightened expectations are likely here to stay. IHW sat down with Sue Serveiss, Regional Marketing Manager, Industrial Segment, Essity North America Inc., for Tork Vision, to talk about the company’s unique data-driven cleaning system, and how Industry 4.0 can help your company meet the specific requirements of your facility in today’s challenging environment.

Q. The Tork Vision Cleaning System helps facilities face the many challenges of keeping up consistent cleaning standards and address ever-growing safety issues. How can the system help different types of facilities meet their specific needs?

Without the right data, it is extremely difficult for facility managers to ensure the required level of cleaning needed. If the information for optimized cleaning resources is limited, or it is too much of an administrative burden on cleaning staff to ensure proper reporting, it could lead to over- or under-cleaning certain areas. Tork Vision Cleaning allows those in charge of cleaning to use real-time data to understand when and where there are cleaning needs, allowing facility managers to use their resources as efficiently as possible. Further, Tork Vision Cleaning is available in three data-driven cleaning options, so facility managers can meet the specific needs and requirements of their facility.

Q. Tell us a little about “data-driven” cleaning: What is it and what does it mean to your company?

As the transformation into Industry 4.0—or the realization of the digitization of manufacturing—continues to enable manufacturers to embrace new technologies and maximize efficiency, it is important to also look beyond the manufacturing floor and the production of goods. This digitization can also extend to the cleaning quality and efficiency within your facilities which, if not done correctly, can cause disruptions and inefficiencies.

Tork has unrivaled experience in data-driven cleaning, having first pioneered the first data-driven cleaning solution in 2014. Back then, it was revolutionary how a digital solution could help site managers and external cleaning contractors perform additional cleaning requirements with the same, or even fewer, staff. Now, the adoption of Internet of Things solutions is truly disrupting the way manufacturers operate in many industries, as data-driven insights are helping them be more productive and use resources more efficiently.

Q. How can Tork Vision Cleaning help facility managers save time on cleaning?

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the need for improved cleaning and hygiene protocols in industrial facilities, and these heightened expectations are likely here to stay. Through its use of real-time data, Tork Vision Cleaning allows facility managers to spend time on what is most important and avoid unnecessary tasks—so you can work smarter and secure the new hygiene standard.

According to data collected from existing Tork customers, switching to data-driven cleaning has helped them:

• Make sure that dispensers are stocked 99% of the time[1]
• Reduce dispenser checks by 91%, saving hundreds of staff hours each year[2]
• Save up to 20% of cleaning hours, freeing up valuable time to focus on more critical issues[3]

Q. What can be learned from the data Tork Vision Cleaning reveals to its users?

Tork Vision Cleaning uses people counters and connected dispensers to give cleaners and managers access to real-time data regarding immediate cleaning needs. The system is designed to help ensure that there are no production hold-ups due to lack of hygiene products in restrooms, locker rooms and break rooms during shifts and shift changes. By helping to ensure that employees always have access to hygiene products, Tork Vision Cleaning reduces the risk of employee absenteeism due to illness.

Through its use of real-time data, Tork Vision Cleaning allows facility managers to spend time on what is most important and avoid unnecessary tasks—so you can work smarter and secure the new hygiene standard. (photo courtesy Tork Vision)

Q. One of Tork’s latest innovations is the PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel System. Can you tell us more about this system?

The Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel System is designed to keep high-traffic bathrooms well-stocked with hand towels, therefore helping facility managers meet increased hygiene expectations. With the PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel System, facility managers can improve user experience and get staff in and out of restrooms quickly, thanks to ever-present towels that are easy to take, as the PeakServe system offers the highest capacity on the market[4] and faster dispensing that serves users in three seconds—quicker than jet-air drying time. This might be highly beneficial during a shift change.

Q. Can you tell us about the three dispenser formats for the PeakServe Towel System?

By offering three dispenser formats, the Tork PeakServe bundle enables facility managers to serve their entire facility with the same refill, saving time for cleaning staff, improving hand hygiene for guests and contributing to less waste.

Q. What are some of the key advantages to the PeakServe system?

Tork PeakServe has 250% more capacity than a standard folded towel system—the highest capacity on the market today.4 With this capacity, the system can serve 600 more employees between refills than they could with a standard folded towel system.4 This increased capacity ensures facility managers can reduce maintenance complexity.

In addition, 68% of people prefer paper hand towels as an alternative to hand dryers.[5]

Q. In what ways does this unique towel-dispensing system have a reduced environmental impact?

Refills for the Tork PeakServe system are FSC-certified. The Tork PeakServe system also enables facility managers to reduce waste due to the system’s compressed refills. Bundles are compressed by 50% to allow for facility managers to carry double the number of towels at once, which means fewer deliveries, and therefore reduced environmental impact.[6]

In addition, PeakServe offers one-at-a-time dispensing, which allows for lower consumption and waste.

[1] Measured across nearly 13,000 connected dispensers between June-December 2019, based on time per month that a dispenser is in an empty status against total time per month.

[2] Based on customer feedback for dispenser checks over 6 months before vs after installing Tork EasyCube® (between June-December 2019). Measured across 16 sites connected to Tork EasyCube, with each dispenser check taking approx. 20 seconds.

[3] Based on the documented results achieved by three Tork EasyCube customers, measured before and after the implementation of Tork EasyCube.

[4] Compared to Tork Universal refills and folded towel dispenser 552020

[5] 2021 Survey conducted by United Minds in cooperation with CINT in March 2021. The survey covered 7 markets China, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, UK and US with a total of 7063 respondents (global average).

[6] Compared to Tork Universal Folded Towels